Commentary: The APA Says “No Evidence’ In Support of Ex-Gay Therapy

There is “no evidence that sexual orientation change efforts work.” This was the American Psychological Association’ verdict on “ex-gay” therapy after an appointed task force of experts studied the issue for two years.

The conclusion did not surprise those of us who work with people who have been harmed by such programs. For example, I just interviewed Patrick McAlvey, who entered therapy to change his sexual orientation at the age of 19. His counselor, Mike Jones, is the director of Corduroy Stone, an affiliate of Exodus International.

McAlvey says that his sessions included prolonged hugs, the suggestion that he use handyman tools to increase his masculinity and questions about the size of his genitalia. There was also an episode of “holding therapy” where he reclined into the lap of his supposedly “ex-gay” counselor for an hour. The goal, according to McAlvey, was to get comfortable with his own manliness by “feeling the strength” and “smelling the smell” of another man.

What Jones and other ex-gay counselors routinely call “therapy” can seem a great deal like foreplay to the rest of us.

“I think it does a lot of damage to peoples’ mental health,” said McAlvey. “If I had had a fair representation (of gay life) I could have avoided a lot of suffering.”

Of course, such therapy and ministry programs can only exist by grossly distorting the lives of gay people. For example, in a recent radio interview, ex-gay activist Charlene Cothran claimed that gay people do not want legal equality and are really only interested in the “freedom to be a homosexual in a park with no clothes on.”

The APA deserves credit for taking ex-gay therapists to task for twisting the truth and holding them accountable for their scare tactics, such as claiming that there are no happy gay people.

“The limited published literature on these programs suggests that many do not present accurate scientific information regarding same-sex sexual orientations to youth and families, are excessively fear-based and have the potential to increase sexual stigma,” said the APA report, “Appropriate Therapeutic Responses to Sexual Orientation.”

It was encouraging to see the APA question the ex-gay tactic of teaching vulnerable clients to live in a fantasy world. Groups like Exodus and the National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH), regularly encourage clients to say they have converted, even though they are still gay. The idea is that by proclaiming a false heterosexual identity in advance of any legitimate change, the desired transformation will eventually come.

This idea is equivalent to me wanting to play professional basketball, so I begin to identify as a member of the New York Knicks. Never mind that I am too short, too old and not good enough to make the roster. If I embrace this surreal existence long enough, I will one-day be dunking the ball under the bright lights of Madison Square Garden.

It is imperative that clients are honest about who they are and not prodded to make claims that are not true. Such a gap between fantasy and reality, according to the APA report, can create “cognitive dissonance” and does not resolve “identity conflicts.”

Most important, the APA report smacks down the absurd notion, pushed by charlatans, that allowing such quackery increases the “self determination” of clients. Contrary to their lofty claims, ex-gay counselors are actually providing the opposite of what effective therapy should offer, which is a nonjudgmental atmosphere where clients can embark on a journey of authentic self-discovery.

Instead of a neutral facilitator, these unethical practitioners set themselves up as surrogate father (or mother) figures. Appropriate client-centered therapeutic models are displaced by therapist-centric sessions, where the main goal is not letting down “Daddy” or “Mommy”, and his or her often religious-based expectations. In such situations, it is the ideological needs of the therapist that are paramount, not the mental health of clients.

The APA’ report also pointed out the difference between sexual orientation and sexual behavior, saying that, “At most, certain studies suggested that some individuals learned how to ignore or not act on their homosexual attractions.”

Reinforcing this point is Exodus International’ President Alan Chambers, who said in an interview last week that he lives in “self denial” and that “ex-gays” are successful by “denying what might come naturally to us.” While extraordinary mental gymnastics may allegedly work for Chambers, most people would find that such repression is destructive to self-worth and psychological well-being.

To counter the APA’ rigorous effort, NARTH produced a shoddy report that cherry picked outdated research, including dated shock and aversion therapy experiments to “cure” homosexuals. It is telling that NARTH included examples of torture to support its tortured attempts to make ex-gay therapy appear ethical and effective.

The APA pulled few punches and couched its top-notch report in direct terms. Hopefully, this effort will limit the number of psychological casualties produced on the couches of ex-gay therapists.

About the Author

Wayne Besen is the Founding Executive Director of Truth Wins Out and author of “Anything But Straight: Unmasking the Scandals and Lies Behind the Ex-Gay Myth” (Haworth, 2003). In 2010, Besen was awarded the “Visionary Award” at the Out Music Awards for organizing the American Prayer Hour, an event which shined a spotlight on the role American evangelicals played in the introduction of Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Bill.

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15 Comments

adrianTAugust 5, 2009 at 6:04 pm -

This investigation by the APA is long overdue. About time. Carl Sagan would be spinning in his grave, the way pseudoscience and quackery is given such prominence. The nonsense of Reparative therapy is precisely this.

This is good news. The APA denouncement of gay-to-straight “therapy” will make this practice, from here on out, very difficult to defend in a court of law.

The justifications for this “therapy” come out of a decades old practice inflicted on adopted and foster children — called “Attachment Therapy” (aka Rage Reduction, Holding Therapy, etc.). Attachment Therapists hold many wrong ideas about human development, one of them being that you can torture a child into loving you. The APA has also condemned this practice, its bogus, catch-all diagnosis (“Attachment Disorder”) and its highly authoritarian parenting methods.

Unfortunately, the APA position hasn’t had much of an impact on stopping this abusive practice, and Attachment Therapy continues to be marketed to gay couples who adopt as legitimate therapy that they need to invest in to be responsible parents.

Now they need to do another study like this to prove the effects of reparative therapy on transgender persons. I think they will again find the therapy to be damaging to us than when we first started the therapy.

ernestAugust 6, 2009 at 2:26 pm -

I am so sad on how so many people cannot differentiate between good science and bad science. It is a fact we have to contend with, but I am hopeful that at least we have more ‘sensible’ therapists than not. These pseudoscientists from NARTH should be expelled from practice. They should be ashamed of themselves. So many Catholics and Protestants in my country alone look up to this bastion of stupidity for support of their own deep-rooted socio-cultural indoctrinations. Closed minds are incredibly difficult to open. It seems to me we need an army of therapists just to treat the close-minded individuals in our society. :(

We have very clear guidelines with the new APA report. If NARTH “therapists” flagrantly violate the rules, they should be held accountable.

We will continue to monitor NARTH’s actions to see if they are adhering to the rules. Nicolosi and his followers should not be above the law. They should follow procedures, just like any other licensed mental health practitioners. If not, there must be consequences.

WilliamAugust 8, 2009 at 3:39 pm -

I’ve just watched the video of Patrick McAlvey again. Frankly, it made me cry. Poor Patrick, being put through all that hocus-pocus. And congratulations to Patrick on escaping from that “ex-gay” purgatory and on finally achieving self-acceptance as a gay man. Anyone misguided enough to be considering any kind of “ex-gay” therapy should see this video. Thanks for making it, Patrick.

I am astonished! The APA is one of the most screwed up institutions in our country. It’s views are constantly changing…never sure what they believe and what they don’t believe. The Word of God does NOT change! The Bible condemns homosexuality – period! Any student of Theology knows the rules of biblical exegesis. You cannot twist the Scriptures and make them say whatever you want them to say…especially for the purpose of justifying ANY sin. Put you confidnece in the Bible NOT the fickle APA!

Dr. E

Priya LynnOctober 7, 2009 at 9:38 pm -

“E”, the APA is the formost expert organization on the human condition. As the evidence has demonstrated that old beliefs were incorrect the APA has corrected itself. The bible and christians on the other hand choose what to believe and then ignore all evidence that contradicts their preferred conclusion. This is why science has given us all the wonders of the modern world while religon has delivered nothing of value but plenty of bigotry, hate, and war.

Religion has evolved over the millenia as one group has gained power over another. The New Testament was an attempt to piggy-back on the Jewish religion and update it to suit the desires of that generation. Christians nowadays are no different. They once claimed god and the bible supported slavery and now deny that and falsely claim Chrisitians were responsible for ending slavery. Just as they did then, when gays have achieved equality and it is no longer socially acceptable to denigrate them Christians like you will lie and claim Christianity was responsible for it.

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